Negaunee completes perfect M-PC season

NEGAUNEE – The Negaunee girls got off to a fast start and defeated Ishpeming 57-44 Thursday night to wrap up a perfect season in the Mid-Peninsula Conference.

The Miners finished the regular season with 15-5 overall and 12-0 M-PC records.

But they’re not even close to being done with Ishpeming, as the teams open up Class C district tournament play at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Ishpeming.

It’s part of the nontraditional Manistique-hosted district that will also have the Emeralds and Gwinn play in Schoolcraft County at the same time. Winners play in Manistique or Gwinn next Friday.

On Thursday, the Miners raced to a 22-4 first-quarter lead.

“We had a really good practice Wednesday,” NHS coach Brandon Sager said. “They were really focused. Tonight the girls were just ready to go. Everybody stuck to the game plan.”

Negaunee upped the halftime lead to 34-13 before the Hematites (10-8, 6-6) held a 19-11 scoring advantage in the final quarter.

Miners junior guard Aleda Johnson led all scorers with 20 points as she also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Junior teammate Hailey Fezatt added 15 points, while Courtney Finnila, the team’s lone senior, added 12 points in her final home game.

Sophomore Madigan Johns paced the Hematites with 17 points.

Newberry 46, DeTour 22

At DeTour, Newberry point guard Taylor Bryant scored her 1,000th point late in the game when she put her 29th and final point of the night on the scoreboard. She added a team-high seven rebounds for good measure.

Bryant, only a junior, has started for the Indians since she was a freshman.

But it was a hard stretch for her to get those points as Newberry trailed 9-7 after one quarter and 16-14 at halftime.

“We came out pretty flat,” NHS coach Fred Bryant said. “The flu bug has been going around our school, and I was glad Kelsey Huffman and Bridget Stoetzer were just able to gut it out.”

But the two players, recently prolific scorers, had just four points between them.

Instead, Taylor Bryant scored all seven of her team’s points in the first quarter.

“But we turned it up in the second half, especially on defense,” Fred Bryant said.

That was how Newberry (19-1, 12-0 Eastern U.P. Conference) was able to post a 12-0 shutout in the third quarter and a 20-6 blitz in the fourth, with half of DeTour’s points coming on a final buzzer-beating 3-point shot by the Raiders’ Sarah Bailey.

Madison Wilkie paced DeTour (9-9, 3-8) with eight points.

Munising 78, Rapid River 54

At Munising, the Mustangs used its depth as 10 players got on the scoreboard.

Frankie Mattson had a double-double for Munising with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Kelsea Ackerman added 17 points.

Munising (17-3) led 19-12 after the first quarter and 38-26 at the half. The Mustangs maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

“I thought both teams played well in the the first half,” Munising head coach Matt Mattson said. “Our defense was a little suspect, but we were aggressive offensively and we had a good shooting percentage. It was nice to see 10 girls score tonight.

“I’m feeling pretty good right now. Seventeen-and-three is a good record. We let a couple games get away from us, but I think we’re playing well.”

The Mustangs, who also won the JV game 46-29, host their Class D district and open at home on Wednesday against Big Bay de Noc.